Maldives NGOs unite to call for removal of graft accused duo

Four Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) have called for the removal of former Vice President Abdullah Jihad, who was appointed Chairman of the Maldives International Financial Services Authority, and former Supreme Court Justice Abdullah Didi, who was recently appointed State Minister of the President's Office.

Association for Democracy in Maldives, Transparency Maldives, Save Maldives and Zero Waste Maldives issued a joint statement on Thursday, saying they were concerned about the appointment of two persons facing several corruption accusations to senior government posts.

The statement also said that the appointment of such accused persons to senior government positions would undermine the trust of the people in the government system.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) concluded its investigation into the allegations that Abdullah Didi received funds from the MMPRC scandal and forwarded the charge sheet to the Prosecutor General's Office (PG) in December. No decision has been taken yet on prosecuting him in the case.

A case is still pending in the High Court against Jihad, for making a detrimental decision in a public matter as Finance Minister back in 2013 when he signed for the development of Fushidhiggaru lagoon as a special economic zone.

The associations have expressed concern over the appointment of other corrupt officials to government positions as well. The statement said that such people are also among the board members of government-owned companies and this will undermine confidence in the governmental system.

The statement called for the removal of all senior government officials that are accused of corruption.

The statement also called for a strong and transparent system to investigate allegations against government officials and a system to hold government agencies and companies accountable.